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August 28, 2017

Hear the Full RICK AND MORTY End Credits Song from Last Night’s Episode

Last night’s episode of Rick and Morty was a winner, confronting problems of dealing with the less desirable parts of yourself that are perhaps more necessary than you thought they were. Of course, as is par for the course with this third season, there was plenty of absurdity to balance the heavier and more dramatic elements. This time around, perhaps the most bizarre comedic counterweight came at the very end of the episode.


You may have noticed during the credits that a really strange song was playing. Well now, we have the whole thing, the entirety of “Terryfold” by Chaos Chaos featuring Justin Roiland.



The minimal R&B-leaning song is actually pretty fun musically, like a ridiculous mix of Vulfpeck, Mac DeMarco, and Midnite Vultres era Beck. The main draw, though, are the lyrics, which are almost exclusively about grabbing “Terry fold flaps,” “flappy folds,” “foldy flaps,” and other variations on the theme. Here’s a way to make yourself laugh: Read the lyrics out loud like they’re a poem or something (we’d argue that they’re poetry):


“Yeahhh


Grab my Terry fold flaps

Grab my flappy folds

Grab my Terry folds

Grab my foldy flaps


Hey touch my foldy flaps

Grab my Terry folds

Grab my foldy holds

Grab my Terry flaps

In my Terry folds

Grab my Terry flaps


Ya Gotta touch ‘em

My Terry Folds.


Grab my Terry folds

Touch my holdy flaps

Take a big flap

Take my foldy flaps.


My Terry folds

My foldy holds

And my Terry flaps

Gotta grab my Terry flaps


Grab my Terry flaps

Squeeze my holdy folds

Hold my coldy folds

Grab my foldy tolds


Grab my Terry flap holds

Grab my Terry folds

Hold my foldy folds

Hold my Terry folds


Hey, did you ever want to hold a Terry fold?

I got one right here

Grab a Terry flap

Squeeze it

Grab it,

Squeeze it, Tug on my Terry Flap


Hey I want to take you to

The Terry fold dance, want to come with me?

You can grab my holdy folds

Squeeze ‘Em, tight


You son of a b***h!


Suck my holdy flappy folds,

Lick my flappy foldy holds,


My Terry flaps, in your mouth,

Suck my flaps you piece of **t!


F**k You!

You stupid god motherf**king b***h.


Hey, Grab my Terry flaps

Gonna eat those toldy folds


I got a couple of Terry fold flaps

I got a flappy foldy flap

I’m gonna go take you to food gonna eat

then we’re going to the Terry fold dance


You and me, we’re gonna go to the Terry fold place

It’s gonna be a night out

Gonna have a real fancy time.”


Is this a banger on the level of “Get Schwifty,” or nah? Let us know what you think in the comments below!



Featured image: Adult Swim

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Published on August 28, 2017 13:17

WONDER WOMAN Video Shows Patty Jenkins Directing Diana’s First Battle

This past summer, Wonder Woman conquered the box office and became one of the biggest hits of the year. That’s a testament to the talent of director Patty Jenkins, actress Gal Gadot, and the rest of the cast, as well as the entire team behind the movie. In just under a month, their collaboration is heading to Blu-ray, and an advance behind-the-scenes video has been released that chronicles the making of Wonder Woman‘s first epic battle scene.



Entertainment Weekly posted the video, which features Jenkins explaining the context of Wonder Woman’s first encounter with the German army. As related by Jenkins, “The beach battle was defined by one thing, which is Diana’s point of view. She has grown up with this idyllic, romantic idea of these Amazons all around her and battle and training. And she wants to be one of them. She’s seen them train in a very fair and organized way, where they all fight, and there are rules.”


The video also includes a few clips of Jenkins directing Gadot and her co-star, Chris Pine, as they navigate the brutal battle between the Germans and the Amazons. Jenkins gets particularly animated as she calls out the play-by-play for Gadot and Pine, so that they know what to react to and when. Jenkins’ enthusiasm for the film is definitely felt in those moments, and it’s worth watching just to hear Jenkins provide her own sound effects for Gadot and Pine.



Wonder Woman will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday, September 19. But if you don’t want to wait that long, the film will be released on digital this Tuesday, August 29.


What did you think about this BTS clip from Wonder Woman? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!


Want More Wonder Woman?

Comic writer Gail Simone on Wonder Woman in Conan.
A Wonder Woman sequel is officially happening.
Why the 1980s Wonder Woman comics were awesome.


Images: Warner Bros.

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Published on August 28, 2017 13:00

August 27, 2017

Our Biggest Burning Questions for GAME OF THRONES’ Final Season

Warning: This post contains major spoilers from Game of Thrones‘ seventh season finale and speculation about its eight and final one.


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We might have a long wait before Game of Thrones final season, but we have plenty of questions about the show’s endgame right now, and we’re not going to waste any time obsessing over them.



Is Cersei actually pregnant?

It certainly looked like she was after her meeting with Tyrion, but then it turned out that was just a master ploy by her to get her enemies to march North while she brings in massive reinforcements. Is her pregnancy real, or just a clever ruse to manipulate her brothers who know she only cares about her children?


Will Cersei’s scheming doom the living?


Everyone but Cersei and Euron Greyjoy are on board with waging the only war that matters. That would be a problem no matter what, but she’s also bringing 20,000 mercenaries to Westeros to help her defeat whatever is standing after Daenerys and Jon fight the Night King. But will her power play get them all killed, her included?


What role does Jaime have to play in the Great War?

Jaime, after calling Cersei’s veeeeery convincing bluff (*breathes into a paper bag*), abandoned her and their (supposed) child to keep his vow to fight the army of the dead. But how will one of the most famous faces in Westeros do going there on his own? And if he gets there, what role will Jaime have to play in the battle with the Night King? Might he actually redeem his honor by saving the living? Or will Daenerys exact vengeance on the man who killed her father the Mad King? And how will Jaime and Cersei’s relationship finally end?



What did snow in King’s Landing mean?

Before Jaime left the unthinkable happened, it started snowing in King’s Landing. Winter had come to Westeros last season, but it seems to have come to the capital faster than we might have guessed. Is that because the Night King was so close to the Wall and the Long Night is already descending on the Seven Kingdoms? And does that mean the vision of a ruined throne room covered in snow, that Daenerys saw in her visions at the House of the Undying in Qarth, means the White Walkers will make it that far south eventually?


Can Theon save his sister Yara?

Theon owned up to his past failures to Jon, and then showed real bravery in standing up to the men who swore allegiance to his sister. But can he actually rescue Yara from his uncle Euron? Or will this mission be his last, and hers?



Will anyone believe Bran and his magical abilities?

Sure, Bran and Sam put the two biggest pieces of Jon’s birth puzzle together, but as Sam pointed out, now many people know what a “Three-eyed Raven is.” Having magical powers that let you see through time and getting people to believe you have those powers are two very different things. No one believed Jon about the army of the dead until they saw it themselves, but how do you make people see visions only you can see? Of course, if Bran is successful that raises other questions too.



How will Daenerys react to learning Jon is Rhaegar’s legal son, her nephew, and rightful heir?

Daenerys not only got Jon to bend the knee, she got him to [bad joke deleted], but that could be an uncomfortable situation when she learns he is her nephew. And also that he is really Aegon Targaryen and rightful heir to the Iron Throne she has desperately wanted. Will she step aside to let him rule? Will it ruin their relationship and lead to bloodshed? Or will it not matter because Targaryens have always had incestuous marriages and they can just co-rule together?



What will happen when Jon brings the North a new queen?

The lords of the North named Jon their king, and he immediately went south and bent the knee to a pretty face, the pretty faced daughter of the Mad King those same lords once went to war against. Are they going to be willing to accept her as their queen? Or will they turn on her and Jon? How they react might determine if they can withstand the coming White Walker invasion.


What can the Stark sisters do as a team?

FINALLY. After a season spent bickering, Arya and Sansa united the pack and killed one of their family’s greatest enemies. What greatness are they capable of as a team when they are working together from the start?



Are the Clegane brothers destined to finally battle to the death?

The Hound sure did tease a future Cleganebowl, but we’ve thought that was coming for the last two seasons and we’ve been wrong every time. But after such heavy foreshadowing in the season seven finale, would the show really not give it to us next season?



Did the Hound see a vision of how Cleganebowl will end?

The Hound saw the army of the dead in the flames, so when he was confident about how his brother the Mountains knows how it ends for him, was Sandor speaking as someone who has seen the future again?


Why was Tyrion so upset about Jon and Daenerys being together?

Did Tyrion think he had a chance with the Mother of Dragons? Could Jon and Daenerys’s relationship be a real problem for him? Was it just him realizing how alone he is in the world? Tyrion was willing to die for her and their cause earlier in the episode, but seeing the two of them together obviously bothered him for some reason. What was it?



Was that a blue fire or a concussive ice Viserion was breathing?

Did the Night King have his new dragon breathing a blue flame, or did he breathe a cold so icy it was like bringing the world’s biggest sledgehammer to the Wall? There didn’t seem to be any melting going on, instead it was more like watching a dragon-Cyclops with Professor X on his back. But ice or fire, does it even matter?



Can anyone stop the Night King now?

The largest army in the world has now passed the Wall into Westeros. Cersei is fighting a war against the rest of the living and they don’t know it, but even if she joined them can the living stop one hundred thousand dead soldiers, whose numbers will only grow as they sweep across the Seven Kingdoms and destroy the living? Is it possible to stop an un-dead dragon being ridden by a blue-eyed ice demon with magical powers?


Did Sam learn any other secret information in those books of his to help defeat the White Walkers? Or can Bran find something in the past that will help?


The living are facing a greater threat than they even did during the first Long Night, because the White Walkers didn’t have a dragon then. So is there anything written in those books Sam stole that can help them now? Or can Bran see something from the past that the First Men and the Children of the Forest did to defeat the dead? The entire fate of the living could come down to those two finding something.


There are more players left in the game than we might have expected going into the final season, what role do each of them still have to play?

Beric, Tormund, Brienne, Bronn, Podrick, Davos, the Mountain, the Hound, Gendry, Jorah, Qyburn, what awaits them? What might they contribute in the Great War, either to help the living or to harm their efforts?



We really wish we didn’t have to wait so long to get answers to these questions, but we’re going to use all that time to think about them way too much.


What questions do you have for the final season? We have plenty of time to kill until then, so tell us yours in the comments below and give us something to obsess over.


WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON IN GAME OF THRONES?

Our Game of Thrones finale recap.
Could Cersei become a Night Queen?
RIP Littlefinger, a real player in the Game of Thrones.


Images: HBO

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Published on August 27, 2017 22:00

Remember Your Ricklaxation With Our RICK AND MORTY T-Shirt Giveaway!

Morty Smith doesn’t exactly have an easy life on Rick and Morty. One second he’s in high school and about to make an awkward move on his crush, and the next he’s on an insane 20 minute adventure with his grandfather that spirals out of control into six days of mayhem. Rick and Morty both need a vacation, but this is one trip that they would both rather forget!


This week’s Rick and Morty T-shirt features one of the signature creations from “Rest and Ricklaxation,” the bizarre toxic duplicates of the title characters. They had all of the seemingly negative personality traits of our favorite duo, but it takes more than some murderous doubles to kill Rick and Morty!



We’re just over half way through the third season of Rick and Morty, and we’re teaming up with Spencers to give away 10 t-shirts every Monday that capture the spirit of each individual episode. This shirt can be yours if you can defeat your duplicates in combat. Or you could just get it for free! All you have to do to enter our weekly giveaway is to click here and tweet.


Last week, fans had the chance to achieve enlightenment with a Spiritual Leader Rick T-Shirt. Earlier this season, the other episodic T-shirts featured the Vindicators logo, the immediately iconic Pickle Rick, and the unexpectedly triumphant Mad Morty. If you missed any of those contests, you can still purchase those T-shirts from Spencers. In fact, they have an extensive collection of Rick and Morty merchandise, which you can buy here!


What do you think about the latest Rick and Morty T-shirt? Let us know in the comment section below!


Want *burp* more Rick and Morty?

The cruelest Rick and Morty episode takes a cold, hard look at Jerry Smith.
How Rick and Morty trolled us so well with Pickle Rick.
So… Noob Noob and Mr. Poopy Butthole are totally related, right?


Images: Adult Swim/Spencers

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Published on August 27, 2017 21:30

GAME OF THRONES Season 7 Finale Recap: It’s a Family Affair

Hello, fair citizens of the Realm! It’s that time of year again—the most wonderful of them all— Game of Thrones  season. And, in addition to winter: spoilers are coming! As this is a recap, it goes over everything in crazy detail, so proceed at your own risk and don’t say we didn’t warn you!


Winter runs in, not with a whimper or a single flake, but with a goddang ice dragon breathing purple fireice (icefire?) at a magical Wall and bringing it down, leaving the North and Westeros unprotected from the dead for the first time in thousands of years. And that was just what happened in the last 3 minutes of the episode! Hold onto your dicks, everyone—the final game has been set. Because DANY AIN’T HERE TO MESS. SHE AIN’T HERE TO PLAY. SHE GOT UNSULLIED, SHE GOT DOTHRAKI, SHE GOT THEM SURROUNDING YOUR RED KEEP, CERSEI, AND SHE’S FLYIN’ IN ON HER DRAGONS. NOW LET’S GO TAKE ON WINTER’S SHITTY BOSS.



The Dragonpit

First thing’s first: the meet-up heard ’round the world! After seasons being apart, or never having met, the three ostensible heads of Westeros—Cersei, Jon Snow, and Dany—met up to convince everyone at King’s Landing that a truce was needed in order to fight the real war against the army of the dead. Jon reacted exactly how he would: disgusted by big city living while Dany seemed nonplussed. But truly, this scene, while helpful for plot momentum, was all about the tiny moments and reunions and interactions.


First: Pod (and his third leg) and Tyrion! Also: Bronn and Tyrion! (Any time Tyrion reunites with anyone, really.) And The Hound and Brienne, talking about how badass and strong Arya is, no less! The Hound and The Mountain! (SANS CLEGANEBOWL). And Brienne and Jaime (which broke my heart because COME ON YOU KNOW YOU LOVE HER, J. You know you do)!



And, of course, once everyone was there, Cersei really Cersei’d out. Not only did she set up a secret “betrayal” from Euron as cover for his trip to Essos to bring the Golden Company over (thanks to those Iron Bank loans she’s been seeding), she lost her last true ally, Jaime, when she admitted she never planned to send any of the Lannister troops north to help Dany and Jon re-murder a bunch of undead. Instead of seeing how she and hers could be very quickly lost to this threat, she decided inaction was the way to go. So all the scary stories are real, so what? Let the monsters fight and then we rule.


Such ignorance has always been Cersei’s favorite sort of emotional maneuvering, but it ultimately hurts her in the end. Take the reunion with Dr. Tyrion Lannister, fetus whisperer. The whole scene was one of the strongest Thrones has had in ages, and felt more like the older episodes of the series than anything else this season. Both Tyrion and Jaime really called Cersei’s bluff this episode, and it’s thrilling to think that Jaime might actually end up on the right side of all of this.


Especially after he saw that dead thing not die—or maybe he was just horrified by Qyburn’s hard-on for the dead thing. Because Jaime knows there’s no winning against the dead, not when those who once fought beside you (or worse, were your enemies), end up fighting against you with nothing so fragile as life to stop them.



Oh and SPEAKING OF DICKS (my favorite segue always), “The Dragon and The Wolf” might as well have been renamed “The Dick and The Cock” for all the jokes and mentions and references and moments dongs had this episode. (To say nothing of the more metaphorical member moments. AND YET WE GET NO FULL FRONTAL WEENACTION, HBO. I see your nudity inequality!) From Bronn’s banter to Theon’s dicklessness finally serving a purpose (ish, more on that in the odds and ends) to Pod’s tripod to Theon’s non-dong to Jon Snow’s ‘cestdong, it was nothin’ but weens, wangs, and winter all over this episode.


Winterfell

Speaking of winter: AIN’T NO TINY FINGERS COMING IN BETWEEN THE STARK SISTERS Y’ALL! (Part of me considered just putting a “screaming intensifies” GIF here and letting that be enough.) Ding dong, Littlefinger is dead, and he went out in the most delicious and cowardly way possible: begging for his life and weaving more lies while Arya had none of it and simply slit his throat! YES GIRLS. YES. I knew there was going to be a reason for all this sisterly in-fighting nonsense — and I’m so glad Arya and Sansa learned to work together. (Bonus points for Bran using his creepy three-eyed magic to let Littlefinger know he knew what was up the moment he turned on Ned.)



But while we could go on and on forever about how fantastic it was to watch the sisters come together and see just how evil Littlefinger was and how manipulative he was of women especially, we have to talk about The Voiceover Heard ‘Round The World (Except Where It Would’ve Counted), since it also took place in Winterfell. While it was surprising to hear that Bran did not know Rhaegar and Lyanna were married (thanks Sam! We honestly had no idea you were listening), what came next was anything but. Jon Snow is actually Jon Sand is actually Aegon Targaryen.


Which is interesting because, well, Rhaegar already had a son named Aegon. With Elia Martell. It’s in the books and his death was mentioned on the show, so we’re not exactly sure why that was the name (or if that will be Jon Snow’s real name in the books, either) Rhaegar gave his son with Lyanna.



If only someone could’ve told Jon or Dany before, oh, y’know…


The Boat

Jon Snow, a.k.a. Aegon Targaryen f***ed his aunt Daenerys Targaryen, on a boat. It happened, we all knew it was coming (heh), but did any of us expect it to happen in this way? Complete with troubled-looking Tyrion (what gives, T? Didn’t you want this?) and creepy-ass Bran explaining it over voiceover while the two nakedly semi-thrust and roll about.


Something tells us Jon is going to be VERY UPSET when he realizes he schtupped his aunt. Doesn’t have a great sex record, this one.



The Wall

LOL JK, THE WALL IS DESTROYED, ICE DRAGONS ARE HOTTER THAN FIRE AND CAN MELT MAGIC, TORMUND IS DEAD, WE ARE ALL EFFED.



Other Odds and Ends:

For the record: I had so MANY headlines that featured SO MANY dick puns that I did not go with for this, someone give me an award.
WHY IS THEON STILL HERE? Seriously! Why? I don’t understand why we’re supposed to care that he’s around and has “been redeemed” in someone’s eyes (certainly not ours).

No amount of #JusticeForYara-ing is going to make me care about Theon.
And if you literally have only kept him around so he could get punched in the not-dick and not get hurt? Eff you!
Please just get rid of Theon and the Greyjoys I DON’T CARE I JUST DON’T GET RID OF ‘EM BYE.


NO CLEGANEBOWL. Sorry Cleganebowl lovers — we do believe your time may still come. But also I really don’t care anymore.



There’s no way the Iron Bank and the Golden Company are going to stick by Cersei, especially if they hear that the Wall has fallen.

Money ain’t everything, babe! Daddy shoulda told you that, but he was a real shitbird and you’re SUPER bad at learning things.


Seven hundred rounds of applause for Michele Clapton (the costume designer) this season. In an oeuvre as impressive as yours has been on this show, this season really propelled you to another level.
Dany and Jon’s babytalk — there is no officially no WAY she doesn’t get pregnant with a Mad Little Targaryen. Hooray incest!

But what do you think? Let us know in the comments below!


Images: HBO


Alicia Lutes is the Managing Editor, creator/co-host of Fangirling, and resident Khaleesi of House Nerdist. Find her on Twitter but only if you really want to because, like—I’m not your boss.


WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON IN GAME OF THRONES?

Conleth Hill insists that Varys is not a merman.
Could Cersei become a Night Queen?
RIP Littlefinger, a real player in the Game of Thrones.

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Published on August 27, 2017 20:54

RUMOR: Is Bethesda Working on a GAME OF THRONES Video Game?

After tonight’s season seven finale, there are only six episodes left of Game of Thrones. And while the series has long since captured our collective imaginations and conquered the realm of television, the series has yet to find similar success as a video games. Of the handful of games that have previously adapted the show, only Telltale Games’ episodic Game of Thrones title has come close to capturing its spirit. Now, we may finally get the Game of Thrones game that we’ve always wanted, if the latest rumor turns out to be true.


TechRaptor is reporting that Bethesda is working on a Game of Thrones video game that may be announced soon. The original source for the report spotted the game listed on Target.com. It’s not available for pre-order and there are no other details at this time.



The pairing of Bethesda and Game of Thrones would be a dream come true. Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls series, and especially Skyrim, were some of the best open world fantasy video games that we’ve ever seen. Applying that type of gameplay and story to the world of A Song of Ice and Fire is a very appealing prospect. It would be amazing to explore the locations in Westeros that have only briefly been seen in the map during the opening credits. And the history behind the series is so vast that a video game could conceivably be set in many different eras beyond the events depicted in the TV series.


Bethesda is reportedly developing two major video games that have not been officially announced, and one of those titles could be Game of Thrones. We really want this rumor to be true, and the end of the seventh season does seem like a good time to make an official announcement. Hopefully we’ll learn more soon.


Are you excited about the prospect of a Game of Thrones game from Bethesda? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!


Want more Game of Thrones?

The history of ice dragons in Game of Thrones.
Unpacking the theory that Bran Stark is the Night King.
What can we expect from HBO’s Game of Thrones spin-offs?


Images: HBO

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Published on August 27, 2017 20:30

A Farewell to [Spoiler], GAME OF THRONES Latest Death

Warning: This post contains spoilers for Game of Thrones ‘ seventh season finale.


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For loyal bannermen of House Stark, it was never going to be possible to root for Littlefinger after he betrayed Ned Stark. Poisoning Joffrey at his own wedding, saving Sansa from the Lannisters, rescuing Jon from certain defeat during the Battle of the Bastards, none of it mattered. Nothing he ever did was going to be enough to undo his double cross of the greatest man who ever lived.


But like two teams who shake hands in mutual admiration after a violent, bloody, and hate-filled game, Petyr Baelish deserves to be remembered for being the most skilled player in the game of thrones as much as he deserves to be remembered for being a ruthless amoral monster.



The spokes in the wheel of Westerosi power that Daenerys wants to break is made of rich old families, their wealth and power inherited and passed down for generations. The highborn rule and play their games of palace intrigue, and the lowborn are there to serve them. Ideas like justice and fairness don’t matter when the powerful control the weak without fear of consequences.


This was the world Petry Baelish was born into, one where the rare few who manage to overcome the class system of the Realm, to raise themselves from nothingness into respectability, require incredible skill and talents.


Which is what Petry Baelish had more of than anyone on Game of Thrones. The minor House Baelish, of the poor, barren, stony Fingers in the Vale, did not offer the name or nobility that likely to produce a son who would grow up to serve on King Robert Baratheon’s small council as he did. Just like being only the second generation of landowners in his family made it seemingly impossible that he would also become Lord of Harrenhal and Lord Protector of the Vale. But he did all of that. His prodigious financial talents led to bring him to serve as master of coin in King’s Landing, and from there Littlefinger’s skills in manipulating the lords and ladies in Westeros brought him wealth and power.



But the smile and helpful attitude of the Realm’s magical money man hid a boy who knew firsthand how Westeros would never truly let him forget who he was, no matter how high he climbed, and that’s why he hated them. Because as a boy he was fostered at Riverrun, after his father a hedge knight befriended Lord Hoster Tully during the War of the Ninepenny Kings. He grew up there alongside Lord Tully’s children, Catelyn, Lysa, and Edmure. Edmure was the one who gave him the nickname Littlefinger, which stuck for the rest of his life.


It was also where he fell in love with Cat, and where Lysa fell in love with him. But it wasn’t just that he was a nobody in Westeros, unworthy of marrying a great lord’s daughter, Catelyn Stark was betrothed to Brandon Stark, Ned’s older brother. That didn’t stop the undersized 15-year-old Baelish from challenging the 20-year-old hotheaded warrior Brandon to a duel for her hand. It was no match, and the young Baelish only lived because Catelyn begged Brandon not to kill him, though he nearly did. Stark men had a history of threatening him.



Before Baelish was sent away after the one-sided fight, he got Lysa pregnant. Despite her pleadings he was too lowborn and Lord Tully wouldn’t let Lysa marry him. He even forced her to drink moon tea to end the pregnancy.


This was the Westeros Petyr Baelish came to know, one where he could be friends with the powerful, but not one of them. He never forgot that.


So when Lysa married Jon Arryn and convinced her husband to give Littlefinger control of the customs at Gulltown, he proved himself a financial wizard. That led him to King’s Landing, where he saw firsthand what being a warrior from a great house got you: the Iron Throne. But Robert Baratheon didn’t have the skills and cunning to rule and play the powerful game of lords. Not like Littlefinger.



For a lowborn, brilliant, ambitious man who had lost out on the woman he loved because of his name and not because of love, there was only one thing to do. He would never be able to defeat his oppressors in battle, Brandon had proven that, so he would defeat them in the shadows. He wouldn’t even let them know he was a threat, the most dangerous kind. He got Lysa to poison Jon Arryn, he turned on Ned and sided with the Lannisters, then he turned on them, killed Lysa, married Sansa to the Boltons, then for good measure turned on them too.


Baelish called chaos a ladder, and nobody created chaos and climbed its ladder higher and higher like him, becoming the game of thrones best participant, even though most had no idea he was in the game. If he hadn’t run into someone more skilled at lying than him in Arya Stark he might still be with us, still making his climb to the Iron Throne, one ruined house and body at a time.


But his treachery, all the lies, betrayal, double-crosses, and murder, finally caught up to him. He understood the world is not a just and fair place, but rather than use his skills to make it a better place for himself and others, he used his talents to make it worse.



With his abilities he could have been a great man, maybe not powerful, but good and decent. Instead he decided he wanted what the world told him he couldn’t have: power. That’s why no tears will be shed for him now that he is gone. His fate was well-earned, and the world is a better place for being rid of him.


But he also deserves to be remembered for playing the game as well as anyone, like a pawn on the chess board who almost managed to become the king.


House Stark’s long and bloody battle with Baelish has come to an end, with the right side finally victorious. But he was a worthy opponent, and he deserves to be remembered for how well he played the game, even if he was so bad.


What do you think? Are you sad to see Baelish go? How will you remember him? Share your thoughts, both big and Littlefinger, in the comments below.


Want more Game of Thrones?

The history of ice dragons in Game of Thrones.
Unpacking the theory that Bran Stark is the Night King.
What can we expect from HBO’s Game of Thrones spin-offs?


Images: HBO

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Published on August 27, 2017 20:02

Japan’s Ice Cream Katana is the Culinary Action Treat We’ve Always Wanted

By many accounts, the history if ice cream goes back several centuries, and it remains one of the most popular deserts around the world. Many countries put their own spin on ice cream, but the latest creation out of Japan may be the most hardcore ice cream treat that we’ve ever seen. It’s an ice cream katana with a chocolate-covered cookie cross-guard!


Via Kotaku, Asahi Digital is reporting that the ingenious idea to create ice cream in the shape of a katana blade came from a high school student in the city of Seki in Gifu Prefecture. It’s especially fitting since the swordsmiths of Seki are renowned for their sword-making skills and their “high-quality kitchen cutlery.” As for the katana ice cream, they are made by a local confectionery chef and they appear to very popular creations.



ゆっこちゃん✨

関市にゆっこー!!


※OK戴

KATANA ICE

日本刀アイス

関の新名物!#日本刀アイス pic.twitter.com/cHKzmsoB6o


— 流浪民 uıɯnoɹnɹ

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Published on August 27, 2017 15:00

GAME OF THRONES’ Theme Sounds Just as Epic on a Korean Gayageum

Game of Thrones is the most popular show in the world, but if HBO released its opening credits as its very own series it would probably rank number two. And a big reason that living map intro is among the best in television history is the show’s iconic theme song. And while it’s hard to imagine it sounding any better than it already does, it turns out is can sound just as epic when played on an unusual instrument, like a traditional Korean gayageum.


We came across this unusual but fantastic performance at Geekologie, but this is not the first time we’ve admired the work of musician Luna Lee and her incredible covers of modern songs on an old instrument. We told you before about her covers of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as Pink Floyd, but since our lives are now 95% thinking about Game of Thrones and 5% dreaming about it, we have a real soft spot for her latest.



If you aren’t familiar with a gayageum don’t worry, neither were we before we watched Luna’s videos. But we do know it is made of wood, has 12 silk strings on 12 bridges, and is the national instrument of Korea. And we also know we love listening to her play it.


Although she should know how this works, because now that she’s given this to us we would also love to hear her play the “Rains of Castamere” and “The Bear and the Maiden Fair” too. Those two tracks are as popular in Westeros as the show is on our world.


What other songs would you love to hear played on a gayageum? Let our comments section be your instrument of choice to tell us your best suggestions.


WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON IN GAME OF THRONES?

Conleth Hill insists that Varys is not a merman.
Every question we need answered by the Game of Thrones finale.
No, Jon Snow’s Longclaw did not blink!


Image: Luna Lee

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Published on August 27, 2017 14:30

This Band’s Music Video is a Playable NIGHT TRAP-Style FMV Game

Twenty-five years ago, full motion video games like Night Trap were interactive movies that utilized the power of the Sega CD and other 16-bit era technology. While the games have come a long way since then, a Canadian punk band called PUP has resurrected the FMV format with the music video for the band’s newest single, “Old Wounds.”



Via Kotaku, the “Old Wounds: Tour Manager Edition” casts the player in the role of an unnamed tour manager and gives them the option of following one of the four band members: Stefan Babcock, Nestor Chumak, Zack Mykula, and Steve Sladkowski. Depending upon which band member you pick, you’ll see and hear a lot of classic video game references as the guys are drawn into increasingly bizarre misadventures. For example, Stefan gets into a battle for his life with a bear and Zack gets abducted by aliens with a suspiciously familiar ship.



The game itself is surprisingly fun, largely because it’s hilarious. We’ve played through it several times, and most of the options end with the band members dying horribly. Even when the player tries to keep the band away from temptation or danger they still manage to destroy themselves. Zack’s story on board the alien ship was particularly insane, and it included lizard people from another world who were really into Huey Lewis and the News.



Another masterful touch was the life meter of each band member at the bottom of the screen. Watching their smaller icons react to the dangers or pleasures around them made the experience even more amusing. This was a very clever concept video, and we’ve got a tip for anyone who wants the most favorable endings: always pick the video options with the longest running times. Any video that’s short means that death is right around the corner!


You can find more videos by PUP on their YouTube channel, and they currently have a song in Dream Daddy, as well as a cameo appearance in the game itself.


What did you think about PUP’s homage to FMV games? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!


Images: PUP


WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON IN VIDEO GAMES?



Overwatch animated short details Mei’s tragic origin story
Sims 4 introduces pet-friendly Cats & Dogs expansion
Check out the latest Age of Empires IV trailer

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Published on August 27, 2017 14:00

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